Virtually everyone has had the occasion to eat, drink, and perform other tasks requiring the use of small objects in vehicles such as automobiles and trucks. Special indentations in the center consoles, dashboards, and glove compartment doors are often provided by the manufacturers as special spaces for holding food, drinks, and other objects. However, the spaces are often unsatisfactory or the particular vehicle is not provided with special spaces. The use of the floor is a poor alternative because of a lack of lateral retention of the objects and poor sanitation.
Several trays have been developed for use in automobiles as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,825,611 and 3,606,112 which require special installations in conjunction with the dashboard, 2,986,438 which sits on the drive line hump, and 3,864,031 which sits on the front seat center arm rest and passes back through between the two front seats to the rear seat. Other trays used in some drive-in restaurants hang on the slightly raised door window and rest against the outside of the door on a leg locked in an extended downward position. Trays for use inside the vehicle not requiring special installations or not resting on existing surfaces would provide significant advantages.